Show the crippled lady of or im reri bonka by james oliver curwood WV service 0 0 1029 2029 Dou doubleday bledar doran doraa cu co lite ic SYNOPSIS I 1 introducing some ot of tile the people of the pretty little french ca aadlan village of Perl bonka partle li lirly the crippled lady idol of it the we simple ample inhabitants and alid heroine of an epic dex destined tined to ii live v e long lone in the village annais CHAPTER 11 II how tho the romance f molly bennt si iter of the indian chief joseph brant bran I 1 and sir william johnson Johns cin in li e days comes down to today with the bit birth ab of a to 0 o an paul uto 1 to molly kirke wife of a lowi taul new york binam financier ter nd and her death when paul Is IB thirteen 3 years a ra old molly kirke was a de int of 0 molly brant and her boy has many of the indian characteristics at thirty tv two 0 paul marries claire claere burnna of his fathers bul buet nees partner lie ile li 14 1 4 in charge of an immense e engineering work on the nistas shil river near Peri bonka which hla millionaire fattier father hati hah undertaken but his indian blood deplores deplore the dt do ruction st cion of tie tahe wilderness wilder neis find and his hl thoughts are more of carla haldan not then the crippled lady than ot of hla his work chaiten CHAI III pa IR wife la Is in 17 drope arlie hiving no inclination to live n those horrible woods H corn comes a to ree in carla daughter of 0 a ccarl nirl european with her devotion to t ier cr invalid d and nd her work of lie HIP villice children hn ideal of womanhood r rit IV P pal will writt to t tit ln lie us mg tier her to join him though halll ilie lie inspiration of the letter I 1 tater ater that evening passing the hald in n home he hears carla erving he enters tho the cottage cot tace haldan Il aidan low lorr a hopel hopeless esq invalid to la dead pauls paul tt of forts to comfort carla he feels bring biln them closer together grether to de also believed that a flash of understanding der had come into her eyes when she looked at him and saw auw in tits his face ace the grim shadowing of the fight which front from that moment he was hound bound to make after this paul was more than ever filled with the desire to go among adiong the men he was seldom in his office every muscle in tits his body yearned fr for the astren bous activity of work which besaw lie saw piled upon others and he let down the bars which his position had com coin belled aln to accept until at times time one coming upon him in the pit would have taken hlin him for or a laborer tie he was skillful with the ax and one day late la in october he had finished hewing a saddle into a heavy timber when he be turned about to find end tarla caria standing a lew few feet away looking at win him she had come to the tar far edge of the pit to find the father of one of her boys and for or a moment it seemed to paul that he be caught in her face a look which bridged in a few seconds the abysmal gulf which he had bad felt growing between them since her mothers death ile he went to her breathing quickly because cause e of his exertions and carla laughed softly almost with a little triumph in her throat when he showed her his hands blackened by pine pitch ile he went to Perl bonka frequently during these autumn days and once a week he had flowers sent to him from roberval for mrs baldani Bal dans grave brave carla knew of tits his visits to the little littie cemetery and paul made no effort to conceal them from her he never cover went on sunday which was carlas day with her mother when she tried to express to him the depth of her gratitude he talked us as II if it were the spirit of his own mother he be was thinking of when he took flowers to pert peri bonka but he be felt tie lie was not biding the truth from her and was rather glad of it it wash was a 9 satisfaction for or him to know that carla was conscious of hla his thoughts about her tt it made MB his fight easier gave gava it a certain thrill which comes to a man when he la Is aware that some one he cores cares tor for Is watching him and the knowledge of it could not harm carla in whose life another love had fastened itself so securely that no corner of her heart could be filled with an emotion responsive to his bis own they made no effort to avoid each other except that he did not take her to Perl Peri bonka and she did not lot come to his office any more and one day when they were together he asked her frankly why she did not marry no sooner were the words spoken than he be was sorry ile ho could see the hurt flame up tor for an instant in tier her eyes like a fire from which a curtain had been suddenly snatched away and then it II died I 1 out leaving her face a little whiter but smiling at him gently as if she were apologizing lor for letting it affect her in that way then she told him it was almost traditional to in their family that a woman should have but one love and she had find loved a man still loved him with all her heart and soul though he was gone from her forever the love had he come into her lih ii baltz time no j athla hask tact c aga 6 ow lalit litant nial her tong long lashes vellin v arvis yi a aimed wl elili 1 mystic visions vision ue war wae glad lie had heard tile I 1 lip words from her own lips it bulli built up a new comradeship between them and made him bin more positive of his triumph over himself A letter from claire helped him ills wife laughed at him filin pleasantly tor for his hl whimsical buggea tion of a journey around tile the corli and then painted la in her ond vald way the torture which site knew such a trip would be for him without your forests your open skies your big outdoors outdo ora you would woold die before we got half around paul she glie wrote hinl him it would be merciless of me to make bake you pay to in that way for my presence up at the MI I 1 am coming and just jait because 1 I want to come I 1 am anticipating seeing something very wonderful erfal up there something which will mean greatly morn more to you yon and me than six or a year rambling around the earth As for such a trip with you in it and then she went on to tell him more about himself than he thought slie site had ever known the I 1 letter etter thrilled blin it rave gave him a now DAW vision of claire who had never unfilled analyzed him ir IP this gentle and understanding der way portraying for or him the life ilfe which he be loved its as though it were a part of herself but to in the end after assuring him again that she was coming to him ad was looking forward to the time when they would be together she said her return to america might be postponed until the following may or june could be wait that long lobs carla also received a letter from claire it t was nas tilled filled with a womanly tenderness and sympathy for on who had suffered a great loss losa led and a as filled with t e intimate knowlt knowledge idge and sentiment which could only harp bon given aelcea ind inspired by paul carla let him hill read it her eyes were it st rangdy alight though she aha had prepared herself to show it to him you yoo told me once that millions million could not buy sentiment the oata and oll minions allons could not bring what has come in ID her letter it is t her ber heart speaking to me carla became so ao deeply in wor wort outside of her school that he did oot not talk with her again tor for a week she formed evening classes clas gai in which she taught english to the adults adult who wanted wan red to come to theland the them mand and the few spare hours houra ot of her afternoons atter noon were spent among the mothers of her school children with the coming of winter baul burled buried himself mora COOM passionately in tile actual stress of outdoor labor leaving tits bis ollice routine largely to others other and the change benefited him carla on the other hand seemed to have hare assented ted too grent great a burden the strain if it were that began to show its effect on her until lucybelle lucy belle noted it and remonstrated with paul every day slie she la Is groning crowing less like the caria we knew before her mother died slie she told him slie she Is breaking under an effort to keep her mind amity front herself yesterday I 1 dropped into her cottage for or a mo when I 1 kne bibet v sit was there nod and I 1 found tier crying she la Is growing and it frightens me to we see the luvell nets fading slowly out of 0 her face yoi yo i must 10 lo do si s paul cmike lin liet drop her night classes cl asseg send tier away for a vacation it if you ran can I 1 think I 1 mn ain the only one site she condid ldes es in at oil nil and I 1 should not betray her confidence not even what I 1 have bare guessed about tier her hut but something Is eating at tier her life which entirely the loss lose of her mother she insists that her night work Is a pleasure pl ensure says saya she Is feeling well ell and want to go away but I 1 know of a dream she hits has always had of visiting her mothers country if the company could arrange something like that paul saw carlo carla the next day a cold sunday with snow on the ground for the first time la in many weeks they had a tong long walk together and at the bei ginning of it she settled bottled any eions he be might have had bad in his mind it was as it if she saw written in his bis face what lucybelle lucy belle had said to him she mentioned mrs Der wenta blott and told him what she had bad said about ti out her work smiling the others fears fear away as absurd and without reason and adding with a very decisive little note cote in her voice that to give up op this work or go away as lucybelle lucy belle 04 suggested gagge sted was the last thing shi abi would think of doing she had heard beard again from bli bin wife it was her third letter and ifania trissa capri where she was spending the winter painting claire had bad seat erit hat a little sketch of the vineyards vineyard ald the picturesque houses oo on their rock cliffs these letters carla said would always remain brightly in her memories they were to so friendly and chail ch ing she had bad answered them aid bjel tried to tell claire it little about hot br own work and of the tha glory and beintz beaucl of the great forests and mighty near them but she lacked the eyes live soul which tits his wife possessed pos sest and could not adequately them paul knew that something of carlas real soul was gone even as she talked to bilm in ills own dragged heavily through the lie winter spring came and his days at the pit were almost over august would see his bis work finished lie ie did not know what he would do then he be told carla things were be happening p pe riling in south america ne ile might go there carlas future was settled tor for another year tile the government had offered her a contract to remain with the children on the and she bad accepted she hoped ewt n benr tvr pt p ml M ii ba aali abata 10 to ara find a place to in Perl bonka I 1 nw near bey 1 mother late in may paul wife sailed balled from cherbourg Cher bourg and to his surprise will was coming straight to quebec to join hla him that nut in 1 wonderful ol of her salt said coris hf her eles ee shining hilling with the light which WM was always la in 0 when ehi W wa or ot of clalie claire RAO to te to your you I 1 ni 1 ha y be loft f 9 r wae be saw aw her for i a lir faw ini tIza 6 day a goodby good by 1 I 1 I wh I 1 wore rr a B man bian and 70 you I 1 11 he be said 41 radlach rad Ted lace lance was wa la in her bar face ace when he left her heir that evening at dinner lu lucybelle lucy cy belle betle said aalde to hr her carlas Cari aa school was tri elated this afternoon beryl told too tae be h dismissed the children because she ib had bad a headache we must go 90 0 ter sad and sea ie her 1 17 ho bar ye been there replied der went treat 1 I was waa a bit worried when ono one ok of ibe th boys boy told me B what had bad bap bonnil so 0 o I 1 went over to see aea it if she hiie mt me bad found band her ber crying hl ill lucybelle lucy belle now I 1 think I 1 ah ala wore to tier her husband ati abobo v out carla aarl galana CHAPTER VI TU crowning point of anticipation i la in faul vasilj 94 biz atar of married life was vu his conroy to mett meet claire fro from ift 1 the to roberval Rot Rob ferral erral from rob to and tron from ar down to where he took the tross rom wilderness train to quac he h limitt steadily to the andi the lacree lacre astrig interest anil ana eoa COM to te hys M a letters had bad beldad hao to amate aftring Q mt long lone winter TW that she ibe ves tta not 1 1 bey ber usual precedent rece deBt of going to new tork but WM was comlat to him gave him an emotional thrill which it had not prey lorely been bl his happiness to experience emper lence to la his bl relationship with her so be bollerer boll ered that for or claire to divert in this way from home ger h er own people ind ti a host of friends after ate ar an absence ol of nearly a year she aho might come to him in a tto tn franklin frank liv detested was alinosi dramatically sign 01 01 a change in her attitude toward him it was the mystery ot of this change willel which withheld from roni hla his reeling feeling the one thing which might have made it a real passion 0 of expectancy and loy in none of tier her letters which had drawn tier her nearer to him than she had ever been had bad she hew spoken of love even la in response to the warmest of his communications to her she had bad given him no definite satisfaction exa et capt to write him in way which without openly avowing herself drew her closer to him ard ara gave to his bis ideals of her a glowing fleshly reality which excited and possessed him as lie he wont went to meet her he be could not keep carla out of hla his mind she came to him vividly when he stood in the shadow of the ancient u 1 1 chapel ot of the at quebec where he had bad seen through the chancel grating the lovely nun DUD whose face and yes hail had looked so much like carlas in lower town he went into the little old church ot of notre dame des Victo victoire lre and he be felt as aa if she were standing atus at Us its side aide she seemed to be a part of the composure and beauty and age old enchantment ot these quaint and ball hallowed owed spots spot which he be loved as it if in some past day her soul had bad helped to mold and fit their destinies here like himself dream and see ghosts and mystic fabrics of forgotten things where others saw only stow slow dissolution and ruin 0 of f brick and mortar and wood in her eyes ware tho the deep and slumbering it lights which linked the memories of the past with the mysteries teries of th the e future in claires the vibrant life ot of a glorious glor lous present together he thought these two women held tho the world in their breasts from its beginning to its end ue he was at the dock an hout hour ahead of the hip when it arrived he drew himself back of the walting waiting people tor for he knew that claire would not bi be in the rush of dis embarking passengers nor nol would 1110 she be aloag alie rail in the crush that always gathered to wave their greetings to friends and relatives it surprised him when he found her to be one 0 of f the first on the landing walk aa she came down he could see sea that she was loehl looking 9 for or ra 4 41 N 1 she raised her lips and kissed hintel 1 with the light touch of her mouth which was a part of claire i lim him S abe ae all alis i s ale uie adile 1111 e tul sit slim m exquisitely y dressed it r eased a orrinan oman to 10 be picked out ot of a thousand i he could always expect claire like that a y wife any man would be enormously j proud to possess ue waved tits his hat li at and she saw him A swift beautiful smile passed over her face and la in Us ills eagerness to reach her he made his b way a little roughly rou gily through the thea crowd ills heart was |